The Dumb Are Mostly Intrigued By The Drum

Fresno Swede Fest The Second set for Nov. 22nd

2008-10-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

You smell that in the air? I. Smell. Swedes! It's back so this time we have a little more than the 3 weeks heads up from last time to create yourself a masterpeice! Coming to downtown Fresno on Saturday, November 22nd at 1pm is the Fresno Swede Fest The Second (not to be confused with the 2nd Annual Fresno Swede Festival, that'll be going down later next year at Corridor 2122) and it will be held at the C.A.F.E (Collective for Art, Freedom & Ecology) Infoshop in beautiful downtown Fresno (actually, Chinatown but did you know that there's actually people that down know that Fresno has a Chinatown? Crazy...) so you know what that means? We need your entries! This is the call out for everyone in Fresno the get together once again and create some good stuff. Still not sure what a swede is? Here's the vid I always show people the grasp the idea:

Got it? No! Well head on over to They Came From The Valley, click on videos and check out some of the entries from the last show to grasp the idea of what this is all about! So the deadline for this whole thing is going to be Nov. 17th, 2008 at Midnight so we need to receive your entry link via email at thedumbdrum@gmail.com. (We know not everyone wants to put their stuff up on the web so if that's the case, please drop us an email and we'll set up alternative means of entry but the deadline is the same so please plan ahead for this alternative entry method). Yup. that date seems to far away but it's really not so start planning right now by sitting down with a couple friends, bust out your DVDs and figure out a film you guys wanna swede! Please be sure to include your name and contact information in case your swede is chosen and we need to get a hold of you. Here are the rest of the rules: The entries musn't be over 5 mins. in running time. Also, the films must not use any excessively abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, sexually-orientated or any other material that may violate any laws. And as a little side note, if you do decide to work on a swede for the festival, let us know! We'd love to get some idea of how many films we're going to get (plus, it'll help us sleep) and if you take some still pictures of your production, send them over too and maybe we'll post them here! REMEMBER! If you have any questions, feel free to drop us an email at thedumbdrum@gmail.com and we'll get back at you ASAP! Can't wait to see what Fresno creates come Nov. 22nd so lets get out there and create!

Go blind seeing the first 5 mins. of Blindness

2008-10-03T10:47:00.000-07:00

'Blindness' First Five Minutes @ Yahoo! Video

That headline is a stretch but hey, I worked hard on it okay. ANYways....the film from director Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener) opens up today and if your on the fence about dropping your hard earned rubbles to go check it out, Yahoo! has posted the first 5 minutes of the film for your enjoyment. Check it out and maybe I'll see you at the theater this weekend when I go see Religulous!

Dragonball teaser again: NOW WITH SOUND!

2008-10-03T10:38:00.000-07:00

Dragonball Teaser from dbthemovie on Vimeo.

UPDATE: Already removed. Sorry, hope you guys saw it. If not, you didn't miss much. If we find it again, we'll repost!

Yeah, we posted the leaked trailer yesterday but here's the more better version. The higher resolution doesn't translate to better movie, unfortunately. But if you must, here it is.

The stars give us a few reasons why we shouldn't vote

2008-10-02T15:45:00.000-07:00

I don't know about you, but if Eva Longoria tells me to shoot my dog, I'm doin' it. BRB Eva, RGSTRN 2 VOTE!!

Random Goodness: Wanna see the $35 a ticket movie theater

2008-10-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

We had talked about this numerous times both here and on our podcast: Would the Fresno film crowd support a premium movie theater experience that would run you $35 a ticket? Well MSNBC has found one of those said theaters in Chicago and did this little report from the place. As for local supporting something like this here, I guess it would totally depend on the films screening at said theater (I doubt Hollywood Chihuahua would be shown here) and the prices of the drinks and food. I mean, if this is gonna be strictly a high end place where the norm is spending $120 for a night at the movies, then maybe not. Those seats do look pretty bad ass plus the button to call a waiter over to bring you another Caribou Lou as you enjoy Iron Man 2? Priceless. So you think you would be all for this kind of theater experience here in town or is it too much for Fresno? Maybe a more scaled down version? Let us know your thoughts!

Guess we're never going to see Ali G or Borat again

2008-10-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

I hope you guys weren't too attached to either of these guys (goddamn you fuckers who are still doing Borat impressions) cause in a recent interview Sacha Baron Cohen did with the Daily Telegraph, he proclaimed that the characters are to well know for them to be resurrected and the expressed sadness that he would never play them again. Hmmm, do you really think that they'll never make a return appearance? I'm sure someone like Cohen can figure out new avenues for both characters to return. But in the mean time: RIP Borat. RIP Ali G. You will be missed....

This week's Flashback Feature: Monty Python & The Holy Grail

2008-10-02T11:46:00.000-07:00

I have nothing against Steve McQueen or The Great Escape. Swear! I just had a momentary lapse last week so I forgot to post this feature up. Sorry for those of you who missed out because of my indiscretion. But this week we return with Monty Python & The Holy Grail. Never seen it & tonight will probably not be the night for me to experience this one, unfortunately (please address all hate mail to thedumbdrum@gmail.com) as I have some prior business to attend to. But for the cut followers of the film, it'll be one less big ass head blocking your view of the screen.

Scorsese & De Niro team up once agian for I Heard You Paint Houses

2008-10-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

Rodriguez has Banderas. Burton & Depp. Allen & Johansson. Yup directors have that one actor that they always go to and Scorsese is once again going back to work with Robert De Niro in an adaptation of I Heard You Paint Houses, a 2005 novel by Charles Brandt. The book is about an Irish mob hit man named Frank “the Irishman” Sheeran (which De Niro will be playing) whom claimed to have been the guy to wack Jimmy Hoffa. Sounds like a classic gangster Scorsese flick. Check out Slash Film here for more details on the project and permission is given to begin getting excited for this one.

More Watchmen news revealed

2008-10-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

So as the legal battle between studios continues over Alan Moore's gift to the people of earth, director Zack Synder is working non-stop on the film and recently screened around 26 minutes of the film to select members of the press. First Showing.net was there and the three main things that stood out was the over all badass-ery that will be this film from the screened footage but also these two tidbits: The film will run 2 hours 43 minutes long and the next trailer will be seen on Nov. 14th in front of Quantum Of Solace so get in line now! You can read the report in it's entirety here.

Nintendo announces new DSi; releases in U.S. next year

2008-10-02T08:30:00.000-07:00

If you were thinking about buying yerself or a loved one a Nintendo DS anytime soon, you might want to hold off. Late last night, the money infused company announced an update to the stupidly popular portable gaming device in the DSi. Yup, just add an "i" to the end of it. And what do you get with that "i"? Well, you get a case design that is 12% thinner, bigger screens and here's the cool part: two cameras! Yup, not one but 2! "Now what would I need 2 cameras on a device like this?" is what I asked right before I slapped myself and said "More is less, stupid! They'll surely find use for it!" And the possibility of wi-fi video conferencing on my DSi became a prime selling point for me, if just for coolness factor. Wish my iPhone could do that. Unfortunately, the DSi won't be available here in the States until next year (you can always import one from Japan when they go on sale over there in November for around $180) but keep this in mind this holiday season: they're selling you last years model now, sun! Check out Engadget here for more details, pics & even a gameplay video.

Random Goodness: Colbert & Stewart on EW

2008-10-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

I haven't bought an issue of Entertainment Weekly in a long time (print is still alive?) but this one I will be purchasing. Man, Colbert really nailed it as Michelle Obama with the whole leg crossing thing. She all of a sudden became 10 times sexier to me for some reason....Check out this article for more info on the write up.

Zero Puncuation: Mercenaries 2 Review

2008-10-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Dragonball teaser charges up online

2008-10-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

Oh man, this film is gonna suck. Sorry, Dragonball Z fans but I have to say this looks pretty bad. But then again, I never go into the ridiculously long anime series so that's where I'm coming from. It would be a nice surprise, though. Hurry before this thing gets pulled!

The DUmb goes live next week! Oct. 8th @ 6pm

2008-10-01T08:35:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Sorry for the confusion! The date was previously listed as Oct. 6th and it should have been Oct. 8th at 6pm. For this oversight, everyone reading this is allowed to punch Bryan Harley in the face repeatedly (even though it was my fault. We're a team like that). So adjust your schedules accordingly. And sorry if you already made plans with the babysitter.

You've you've might have listened to our podcast, The DUmb. Well, have you ever listened to the podcast and wondered "Man, I'd really like to see what these fat, ugly bastards look like. Nothing could be more visually stimulating than that! They should go a vidcast (or vodcast, depending on who you talk to)!" Well wonder no more. Next week, October 8th at 6pm, we will be streaming our podcast live over at Late Update. Our special guest for that podcast will be Fresno Film Commissioner Ray Arthur so join us as we talk about all things film & Fresno and I'm sure Ray will kick down some entertaining Hollywood stories. The plan is to be able to have live chats as well as possibly take phone calls from listeners for this one but we're still working out all the kinks on that. We'll keep you guys posted here on The Dumb Drum and you can always hit up Late Update as well. Bookmark this link as this is where you'll need to be next Wednesday at 6pm in order to see this epic Fresno event. Hope some of you can make it to our event which will, undoubtedly be riddled with technical problems as well as possibly less cuss words than usual since we're having a legitimate guest on our roll call.....but no guarantee!

Another Way To Die music video drops

2008-09-30T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Jack White & Alicia Keys theme song for the upcoming Bond film Quantum Of Solace has premiered exclusively over at Yahoo!. Check it out and let us know what you think and where it ranks in the hall of Bond movie themes. I do wonder, however, how would Amy Winehouse's version of this would have sounded like.

Have you visited They Came From The Valley lately?

2008-09-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

So They Came From Valley has been around for a while and we've had a pretty good response so far. At this point, users have uploaded 26 different videos (including some of our swedes from the Fresno Swede Film Festival) and I have to say, it's a pretty good gathering of some of the different talents around here. If you haven't gone by in a while, I invite you to do so and discover some of the local talent we have here. Also, if you have some stuff to upload, do it NOW! We're always keeping an eye out for new stuff (but remember, we've got guidelines) so bust out that DV tape and send it up over there. We also have some forums over there to discuss all the latest happenings. Vimeo makes it easy and the quality looks 100 times better than You Tube so why are you still reading this and not over there yet?

Random Goodness: Marc Ecko does Star Wars

2008-09-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

Just last week, PartyMarty & I were discussing the Marvel Comics license Marc Ecko obtained for a couple of years around 1999 and how it was one of the first times that a license was used in that manner to attract the older generation of comic book fans with dope integration between comic books & clothing design. No longer were we limited to logo stamped t-shirts from comic book stores. Nope, the characters we grew up reading had been implemented in a tasteful manner in which nerds all around wouldn't have to fear getting ridiculed for wear such things. And now, it seems that era might have returned with Ecko picking up the Star wars license. Fuck....that Boba Fett hoodie is so fucken dope! Sure, it's $98 but dude......it's a Boba Fett hoodie! You can head on over to the official site here and place you order right now if you got the skrilla but I'm sure we'll be seeing these hitting your favorite mall pretty soon. Guess I finally have a reason to return to the mall to shop for clothes. Head on over to Slash Film here to check out the full post including a special code on how to get $10 off any order over $100 PLUS free shipping. Nice!

Dem Trailers: Seven Pounds

2008-09-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

I saw this trailer for the first time during last Friday's Presidential debate as from what I saw, it looks pretty good. Awesome cast, cool visual style...nice. Supposedly, this is the film that will win the Fresh Prince an Oscar (but remember, so was The Pursuit Of Happyness) but we'll see. Check it out and let us know if you think this is the one for Will Smith.

Dem Trailers: The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button

2008-09-26T16:59:00.000-07:00

Lot of trailers today (I guess the studios are expecting Eagle Eye to do big this weekend) and here's David Fincher's newest. A lot of speculation that there's beef happening between the director and the studio heads over the cut of the film but who knows how this'll end up. Some early reviews have been not so nice. Check out the trailer over here at Apple and see what you think.

Dem Trailers: Extended W. Trailer

2008-09-26T15:08:00.000-07:00

W.

Perfect way to start off debate night! This a very extended trailer for Oliver Stone's comedy/drama/satire project. Is this going to be the sneak attack film of the season? Who knows but it looks good so far. And I'm not a huge Stone fan either!

Dem Trailers: The Spirit

2008-09-26T12:59:00.000-07:00

Another trailer from Frank Miller's upcoming film has dropped in to save us from the crap that was the leaked video out of San Diego Comic Con earlier this year. Did it do it's job and clear up that entire mess or just make it worse? Sam jackson has described this film as a real life "Looney Toons" movie. Interesting....Head on over to Moviefone here, check it out and let us know: does this mark the beginning of a long movie career for Miller or the implosion of an artist with too much vision.

New Mighty Muggs reveal themselves

2008-09-26T10:47:00.000-07:00

Behold the great Soundwave! Aight, I wasn't too excited about the Transformers line when it was announced at Comic Con but that looks pretty bad ass!

And although these have been announced for a while, here is the first pic of the entire next wave. Classic Iron Man FTW! And finally, it has been announced that the Indiana Jones line has been canceled. WTF!? I want my damn Dr. Henry Jones, dammit! I know people that have picked these up but according to Mighty Muggs Lounge (which is where all these pictures & info come from), all Waves (including Wave 2) have been cancelled. Time to start picking them up on eBay, people!

Dem Trailers: Valkyrie

2008-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

Damn, that was a pretty bad ass trailer. The music, the cuts...yeah, cool as hell. Through all the trouble this production has been through, it's cool to finally see something that really gets me hyped up on the film. Hurry up and check out the trailer over here at Yahoo! and let us know what you think.

The Best Films of 08' (so far) According To partymarty

2008-09-26T06:04:00.000-07:00

Any time you have 4 GREAT comic book films hit the big screen in a year, you know it's going to be an awesome year of film goodness. Seriously, I haven't been this excited about going to the movies in a loooong time. This also marks the first time I watched a movie in a theater around the same time The Fresno Bee gets delivered in my neighborhood. Who does that?? We do it here at The Drum. Anyways, my top 5 of the year so far:

5. Iron Man

Robert Downey Jr. really delivered a stellar performance as Tony Stark. This is really a no-brainer here. You've got a mega-millionaire playboy genius who's got it all...and on top of that, he's got a suit of armor that makes him virtually indestructable. He can fly, deflect gunfire, shoot rockets out of his forearm and go 12 for 12 with Maxim cover girls. Tony Stark is the epitome of Alpha Male-ness. Tony Stark is who I wanted to be when I grew up. I like blogging too.

4. Bigger, Stronger, Faster*

When I think of cool documentaries I think of films like Michael Moore's Bowling for Columbine and Morgan Spurlock's Super Size me. Those films are intriguing, have a bit of humor and they somehow manage to keep you entertained without the assistance of huge explosions, CGI, or Megan Fox. Bigger, Stronger, Faster* is a documentary by Chris Bell, a regular guy who, like any kid, just wanted to be like Rambo, Arnold and Hulk Hogan. Bell and his brothers are all powerlifters who have experimented with anabolic steroids and this film gives you a peek into their everyday lives, dreams and issues. BSF* also uncovers the dark truth about steroids and the people that use them. What I like most about this movie is you don't have to be a gym rat meathead with tubs of whey protein in your kitchen to love this film. But if you are, then it's f***ing awesome.

3. The Dark Knight

Number 3? Having an epic film like TDK take the third spot really speaks volumes about the kind of year it's been in film. A ridiculously amazing performance by Heath Ledger, a brilliant screenplay and a big fat IMAX screen at 6:00a.m. For me, this is about as close to movie perfection as it gets and it just happens to be about a comic book super hero. I really want to put this at number one, but these two other films got in the way.

2. The Wackness

Ahh, The Wackness. The best movie of 2008 that you probably didn't even hear of because it didn't show in a theater anywhere in the valley. Classic hip-hop soundtrack, a great script and I really thought Josh Peck pulled off the "Shapiro" role pretty damn well. This film really took me back. It reminded me of hanging out with my cousins as we blazed it up and listened to music that would eventually become classics. There were just so many moments from this movie that I could relate to , moments that were so meaningful that I would still remember them to this day like they happened yesterday. This is a movie that you absolutely have to watch ASAP if you haven't already.

1. Cloverfield

I've said it before, I'm a big, fat sucker for epic , "OMG, we're all gonna DIE!!!" disaster movies. War of the Worlds was my fave in the genre until this mofo came outta nowhere and bitch slapped it. For a whole 85 minutes I sat back and watched 4 people in New York try and survive a Godzilla-style attack on thier home and loved ones, all by way of a hand-held cam. For those 85 minutes I forgot where I was, I forgot what bills I had to pay, and I forgot about the car in my drive way with a blown motor that I had just replaced a few months before. The visuals were amazing, the audio blew my mind and I love how Abrams teased the whole way through, never completely reavealing the giant creature that rips NY a new one until the very end. This is film making at it's finest. This is quite possibly my most favorite movie of all time.

Didn't make the list:
Wall-E
The Fall
Hancock

Biggest Disappointments So Far:
The Happening
Drillbit Taylor
The Love Guru

brodiemash's Top 5 Films of 2008 (so far)

2008-09-25T10:32:00.000-07:00

So we've made it clear into September (OMG, Halloween is right around the corner) and this year has been one of the best as far as the quality of films released so far. And we haven't even started Oscar season which will undoubtedly bring us some more good stuff. So to preempt the barrage of films surging this way, here are my top 5 films released so far this year:

5. Wall-E

I was expecting that this film was gonna be good but I didn't expect what it ended up being: A silent film with so much heart that it leaves you with a good feeling when you leave the theater. You know that age old movie quote "A feel good movie"? Wall-E is the manifestation of that very quote. Pixar has had a track record that rivals any and this one has to rank up there as one of the very best films they've ever done.

4. Iron Man

What can I say? This film rocked my socks off and started off the summer blockbuster season with a repulsor ray to the face of the industry all while giving Robert Downey Jr. the resurrection he's always truly deserved and Marvel Studios the weight it needed to bring us their universe to the big screen. The film was not perfect but it totally kicked ass. In cased you missed it on the big screen, the film will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on Sept. 30th.

3. The Dark Knight

Some of you might be shocked that this isn't #1 on my list and I'm right there with you. It's really hard to describe what a "perfect film" is but this one came so close to living up to that title. There were a few kinks in there that kind of bothered me over all but overall The Dark Knight rocked. We'll see what happens with this film come Oscar season as I'd be surprised if Heath Ledger doesn't get some kind of nomination here.

2. The Wackness

I doubt that this film will make it onto most people's top list (especially here in Fresno since the film never opened up here; according to this the film is going to open in Visalia on Oct. 15th) but I was fortunate to see this awesome film and it touched a brother's heart. From the script to the music, it was an awesome experience and know that nostalgia played a big factor in The Wackness' position on my list. 1994 was a tremendous year in music and life in general for me so this flick really took me back. Awesome stuff.

1. The Fall

Like I've said in the past, storytelling is king in my book. And to see this story come to life through a little girl's imagination just exploded my head. Tarsem's surreal visuals really did a wonderful job of projecting this world in the film. Sure the script might not have been perfect but the acting (especially from Catinca Untaru, who deserves at least a nomination for her role of the young girl Alexandria) packaged along with the sheer awesomeness of the music, visuals & the creativity really made this the most enjoyable film I've seen this year. The film was just released on DVD & Blu Ray so I suggest you pick it up and check it out. Or at least throw it on your Netflix Queue.

And that's the list so far. We still have some heavyweights coming between now & January so who knows how this list will look like when I do my Top 10 of the year then. So let me know what you guys think. Did I miss anything? Let me know what your Top 5 films of 2008 are so far.

Dem Trailers: W.

2008-09-24T17:17:00.000-07:00

Well, the W. teaser came out and now here's the first full trailer. Oliver Stone doing George W. Bush. Right there, your either really wanna see this or you really wanna protest it. Either way, you can go over to Yahoo! here to check it out and let us know what you think.

Zero Puncuation: Castle Crashers & Bionic Commando Review

2008-09-24T16:40:00.001-07:00

Random Goodness: Nintendo's Wario Land: Shake It! promo video

2008-09-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Alright, so I can't embed this particular YouTube video here but just go on over here and check it out for yourself and you'll see exactly why. Pretty cool concept and really surprised no one else has done something like this before. Check it out and let us know what you thought.

Transformers 2 Megatron pics show up online

2008-09-24T08:47:00.000-07:00

These pics were floating around the net yesterday and this morning Slash Film confirmed (via TFW2005) that this is indeed how the leader of the Decepticons will look in the Transformers sequel due next year. So now he's a tank (reminds me of Galvatron) instead of an alien jet. Pretty cool shit cause that's the meanest looking tank I've ever seen. Check out the rest of the pics over here at Latino Review.

Slacker Uprising is now available for free

2008-09-24T08:31:00.000-07:00

Michael Moore's newest film is now available for you to check out over at Blip.tv (or just click up there to check it out right now) or you can go over to the film official site here, sign up and get a link for the download if streaming video ain't your thing. I love free stuff but the buzz on this film is that it ain't no Bowling For Columbine so keep that in mind. Sorry to kill your free stuff buzz. Now go check it out and don't let this little internet voice sway your right to grab free shit!

Dem Trailers: Notorious

2008-09-23T14:44:00.000-07:00

And here it is. The big screen version of the life of Biggie Smalls (aka Notorious B.I.G.) has dropped a teaser trailer and although it doesn't show too much, some of the actors portraying Lil' Kim, Diddy & Tupac look pretty faithful to the originals. Check out the trailer over here at Yahoo! & let us know what you guys think? Is this gonna just be another crappy Hollywood biopic or is this the real deal?

Randon Goodness: Musical Road in Lancaster

2008-09-22T16:05:00.000-07:00

Yeah, it's kinda hard to really understand but here's the gist: Honda decided, as part of a marketing campaign, to create grooves in this stretch of road outside of Lancaster, CA and every time you drive over it, the sound of your tires going over the grooves create a musical tune. Crazy, huh? Anyways, the locals weren't too happy with the whole thing apparently and have complained enough that Honda is going to repave the road. Could you tell what the song was? Even after I found out, I still couldn't distinguish it. To find out what song it is, check out the full story over here at Autoblog.

Dem Trailers: Revolutionary Road

2008-09-22T10:40:00.001-07:00

If your like me and you've been waiting for the day when you get to see Jack & Rose from Titanic reunited when his body is found frozen solid in the very iceberg that brought the mighty ship down and is reanimated 70 years later only to find that the world has changed, well keep on waiting (Cameron still isn't taking my phone calls for that script, BTW) But for know, you get Leo & Kate playing other roles. Bah! I'm holding out for Titanic 2 but this might be worthy. Directed by Sam Mendes (Winslet's real life husband) the film is in competent hands. What do you guys think?

Planet Asia & DJ Muggs in Fresno tomorrow

2008-09-22T08:59:00.001-07:00

Planet Asia. No disrespect but for my money, the best emcee to come out of Fresno. And tomorrow brings you an opportunity to see him along with DJ Muggs, the world famous producer of Cypress Hill, performing at The Starline in Tower District at 9pm to promote their new album, Pain Language (good stuff, BTW. Pick it up today). Tickets are $10 presale & $15 at the door. Where can you get presale tickets? Funny you should ask cause you can pick them up over at Sugarhill where the artists themselves will be doing a signing around 5pm tomorrow before the show. So bust out those Asia EP's and head on over there before the show to get up close and personal with dude.

2nd Latino Film Festival kicks off tonight

2008-09-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Tower Theater seats got your ass hurtin' over at Reel Pride? Well switch it up a bit and go over to the Fresno Art Museum and sit on some equally uncomfortable chairs to watch some cool Spanish language films at the 2nd Annual Latino Film Festival going on this weekend. Check out the official site here for the lineup plus how to reserve tickets for the screenings. Don't have the cash flow? Don't worry, ALL SCREENING ARE FREE! Free is good. Yeah, I know Spanish language films might not be for everybody but you just never know what gem you'll discover if you don't give them a chance!

Stephen Chow to direct, co-star in The Green Hornet; Seth Rogen set to star

2008-09-19T14:46:00.000-07:00

Dang.....that's pretty awesome! I know Kevin Smith was initially set to direct this film (until he decided he was to much of a scary cat to handle something this big) but I have to say: Stephen Chow is a much better choice! Plus he's going to be Kato?! AWESOME! Love most of his films (CJ7 just wasn't my cup o' tea) and for him to come along and combine Chow with a star like Seth Rogen in the driver seat.....this is gonna either be real bad or real good, hopefully the latter. Check out all the details over at Slash Film here.

The DUmb #10 • Return Of The Swede

2008-09-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

As we reach double digits, come along with myself and Bryan Harley as we welcome Barrazie & Jay From Sanger to sit around and discuss the happenings in our nerdy worlds including the exclusive announcement on the details for the next Fresno Swede Festival. **Language in ALL our podcasts are NSFW so be warned**

• We discuss the plethora of film festivals (Reel Pride & Latino Film Festival) going on in Fresno this week.

• Find out how to get a free beer at tonight's Dumb Drum Gettogether.

• Talk about The Fall, Burn After Reading & Lord Of The Rings Extended Editions.

• Chinatown exists and it has tunnels. We talk about the 2nd Swede Film Festival.

• We discuss Fresno's upcoming Public Access Channel which will birth Dumb Drum TV.

• Why I'm going to buy the Chevy Volt.

• Hackers access the Large Hadron Collider as we creep closer to the end of the world.

All this & so much more! Download now & remember: if you listen to this podcast, you have a chance to score a free beer. DO IT! Thanks to LateUpdate for hosting the podcast.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE DUMB #10

Dem Trailers: Synecdoche, New York

2008-09-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to figure out how to pronounce that first word so don't worry if you are too. So Charlie Kaufman is one crazy mofo. The reclusive writer of such cool films like Being John Malkovich, The Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind & Adaptation comes another one of his trademark quirky (love that word) films and this time, Kaufman is in the drivers seat as director. I wonder how his writing will translate but from the looks of the trailer, so far so good. What do you guys think? Oh you haven't seen the trailer? Well check it out here at Yahoo!

This week's Flashback Feature: Back To The Future

2008-09-18T09:20:00.000-07:00

Back To The Future. Yup, this is the week that it all begins to get real good for me. Now I honestly can't remember if I went to go see this film theatrically when it was first released so seeing up on the big screen is gonna be bad ass (unless it's a really crappy print for some reason) and I can't wait! I will be there tonight and so will a some of our fellow Dumb Drummers as we meet up beforehand. What, you haven't heard? Well, here it is once again: Meet up at 8:30pm at the Me & Ed's Coney Island (located just north of the Edwards Theater entrance) and check out the film at 10pm. Not clear? Just head on over here or here for more details or drop us an email. Hope to see some of you out there tonight!

Random Goodness: Colbert vs. GM

2008-09-18T08:18:00.000-07:00

GM vice chairman Bob Lutz came on The Colbert Report last night to talk about the Chevy Volt. Hilarity ensued! I wonder if women are going to get offended by any of the comments Lutz made about the car being for "crunchy" ladies? Hmmmm.......lets watch!

Reel Pride Film Festival kicks off today

2008-09-17T09:03:00.001-07:00

One of the biggest (the biggest?) film festivals in Fresno begins today and it all goes down over in the Tower District. There's a VIP dinner going on today (my invite must of gotten lost in the mail) at Bobby Salazar's followed by a screening of Ruby Blue. To be honest, most of the films screening I've never heard of but here's your opportunity to go and be pleasantly surprised (*sigh* no local films, it seems. Although there is the discussion panel on Sunday). The festival goes on through this Sunday and ticket prices are not listed on the web site but I'm sure that they shouldn't be too outrageous. Or maybe they are. Usually when these events don't list actual prices on the web site promoting the event, it means that the prices can't be too low. But if your a film fanatic and you wanna go see some movies that otherwise you probably would have to wait for DVD, here's your chance this weekend. For more info and the full out schedule, head on over to the official site here and start planning accordingly!

Zero Puncuation: Spore Review

2008-09-17T08:41:00.000-07:00

Jack White Scores Quantum of Solace Coke Zero Ad/Theme Song

2008-09-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

White Stripes frontman and Raconteurs founding member Jack White scores this Coke Zero ad and will be collaborating with Alicia Keys for the theme song "Another Way To Die" in the new Quantum of Solace film. This James Bond-style Coke Zero ad is part of Coke's global campaing tie-in with the Bond film and is part of Coke's largest campaign ever to support Coke Zero, which I happen to drink by the case. Bond fans will be able to pick up a limited edition Quantum of Solace bottle featuring the famous gun barrel and an image of James Bond in a pose with silhouetted Bond girls. Bond, Jack, Zero....Win. This will probably be a soundtrack I'll pick up once it's released.

Matt Damon Rips Sarah Palin A New One

2008-09-16T15:32:00.000-07:00

In a recent interview with CBS News, Matt Damon takes it upon himself to rip into John McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin. He talks about the possibility of the Alaskan Governor becoming President, comparing the situation to "a bad Disney movie". Check out what else he has to say about Sarah Palin. Funny stuff.

Chevy Volt production model fully revealed

2008-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

After some spy shots over on a certain movie set and some leaked photos 2 weeks ago, this morning GM revealed what could, potentially, totally change the face of the American automotive industry: the Chevy Volt. Just a recap, the car promises 40 miles on a single charge (which you just plug into the wall at home) and after that, the combustion engine kicks in to power a generator (not the car itself) to recharge the batteries. Pretty cool, huh? Check out more details over at Autoblog here and check out the gallery here for more pics. I'm seriously considering getting one of these bad boys when they hit showrooms Nov. 2010, fasho! The future is here!

Dem Trailers: Role Models red band trailer

2008-09-16T09:46:00.000-07:00

Reminder: Redband = NSFW. So put dem headphones on and check out what, if the patterns with these red band trailers continue, could possibly be the funniest parts of this film. NYUP!

Jake "The Snake's" Meltdown. Claims he was drugged.

2008-09-16T06:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, former WWF wrestler Jake "The Snake" Roberts took part in a Firestorm Pro Wrestling show in Lakewood, Ohio. According to sources, Jake Roberts started the night off signing autographs and taking pictures with fans. But, before he was to appear in the ring, "Old Snake" managed to get loaded and pulled off the most ridiculous performance in wrestling history. The obviously hammered Snake stumbles into and around the ring for a bit until his opponent, "JT Lightning", gives up and pins Roberts very shortly thereafter. Little did the fans know that the worst was yet to follow as a reader from www.wrestlingnewscenter.blogspot.com explains:

"Jake then proceded to pull his penis out and shake it in front of the whole crowd.."

I guess ever since Jake's "real" Python "Damien" died back in 06', this is his idea of bringing a snake into the ring these days. You can check out the guys entire post here.

According to Jake Roberts' statement at CYInterview.com, he claims to have been drugged. However, I'm sure it was just the fact that he is still an alcoholic and/or junkie.

The video from the show posted over at TMZ is the best one though.

Dem Trailers: Repo! The Genetic Opera trailer

2008-09-15T12:58:00.000-07:00

I've never been a huge musical fan but I'm anxiously waiting for something to change my mind (I have an idea for one but not exactly sure how to tackle one) and blast my brain outta my head. Repo! The Genetic Opera looks cool but I'm not totally sold on it. It's cool to see SpyKid Alexa Vega getting work as well as Sarah Brightman but Paris Hilton very presence in the film is scary (yeah, that's her up there). Check out the trailer for yourself over at Yahoo! here and let us know what you think.

This week's Flashback Feature: Back To The Future

2008-09-15T11:00:00.000-07:00

Ah yes it's that most wonderful day of the week once again and as well all work towards the end of the rat race come Friday at least we have something to look forward to before the weekend comes. You might be wondering why I'm reminding you all about this week's Flashback Feature today so early on but the reason is a good one: Alcohol! What better way to see the DeLorean tear shit up on screen than a bit (and only a bit) under the influence? So that's why we're planning on meeting up this Thursday, Sept. 18th before the 10pm showing of the classic film Back To The Future over at the new Me & Ed's Coney Island restaurant's bar (located in front of the theater, near the parking garage) at 8:30 pm this Thursday. The film starts at 10pm and tickets are $5 so that'll leave plenty of time & $$$ for beer. So prepare yourself, spread the word, bring a friend & come get a drink with us before we experience the awesomeness of Back To The Future!

Random Goodness: Ron Burgundy interviews Tom Brokaw

2008-09-15T10:53:00.000-07:00

See more Ron Burgundy videos at Funny or Die

Just sit back & watch the magic happen....NINJA ATTACK!

Rumor: Eva Longoria to play the Wasp in Avengers movie

2008-09-15T08:41:00.000-07:00

This weekend Flawed Hollywood (via Slash Film)was able to catch a picture of the Desperate Housewife Eva Longoria walking out of Marvel Comics Beverly Hills office with a stack of comics. And not just any comics, Avengers comics. So now the speculation is running rampant that she's up for the role of Janet Pym aka The Wasp. Yup her powers suck if you as me but she's part of The Avengers picture and you gotta have the core team there right? But besides all that weak powers non-sense, not to bad of a pick if this is in fact true. What do you guys think?

Random Goodness: The Extreme Sticky Notes Experiments video

2008-09-12T15:44:00.000-07:00

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.
The newest video from those Mentos & Coke Experiment creators over at EepyBird is pretty freakin' amazing, if you ask me. I mean on some Michel Gondry type deal here. A perfect end to this long as work week if you ask me.

Hackers access Large Hadron Collider computers; "one step away" from ending world

2008-09-12T14:40:00.001-07:00

Okay, fuck that! If the fact that the Large Hadron Collider merely existing isn't scary enough, CERN announced today that hackers were able to gain access to the machine's systems which was "one step away" from a control computer. All we need os for some War Games scenario where some fuck face with too much time on his hands decides to create a black hole and zap everyone out of existence. I mean, why would you even announce that this happened? Now all the Acid Burns & Crash Overrides of the world are going to try to pull a repeat performance, no? Hopefully they'll hire Kevin Mitnick to help beef up security for next time. Nuts....

Fresno Filmworks screens The Edge Of Heaven tonight

2008-09-12T13:40:00.000-07:00

Another month, another Fresno Filmworks presentation and this time is another winner. The Edge Of Heaven comes from director Faith Akin and has been winning awards & favorable reviews all over the place. Head on over to the official site here for a synopsis of the film and also to purchase tickets for tonight's screening.

Dem Reviews: Burn After Reading

2008-09-12T13:26:00.000-07:00

The Coen Bros. are cool in my book. Not some filmmakers I would say get me out to the theater when they release new stuff but their craft is unique and their sense of humor is dark. I like that but to say I'm a die hard Coen Bros. fan would be a flat out lie. So after seeing Burn After Reading last night, I have to say my sentiments haven't changed much. The film is filled with some decent laughs here and there but it never really gets of the ground completely for me. The entire cast did a wonderful job here and it's not their fault the film never explodes but rather the script seems like it was a single cool scene fleshed out into a feature. The films running time is about and hour and a half and I say it could of used like about 10 to 15 mins. cut out to make it a tighter ship. Overall, entertaining but not very memorable.

~~Opening Night~~ • Matinee • ~~Rent It~~ • ~~Ignore it~~

SeinGate commercial #2 somewhat better

2008-09-12T08:36:00.000-07:00

Still not sure about this has to do with anything Microsoft, really. I get the connecting part but it doesn't really seem to ever hit the mark for me. But at least it's got Bill Gates doing the robot! Better than the first but not by much. What do you guys think? Microsoft heading in the right direction with this campaign?

Dem Comics: Secret Invasion #6 Review

2008-09-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

Secret Invasion is this year's Civil War as it seems that Marvel has seen how much money this huge crossovers produce and decided to turn it into a yearly event to milk money out of nerds like myself. Not to give much out if you haven't read any of the books but those damn shape shifting Skrulls have taken over the world and now our heroes don't know who to trust as key figures have be revealed to be the alien species in disguise. That's all you get from me. Good stuff so far, the artwork on this mini series is being handled by Leinil Francis Yu, whom I'm a big fan of but I know some people don't dig his style (he's no McNiven, but he's still on point), and Brian Michael Bendis on writing chores is Brian Michael Bendis; a rather mediocre writer if you ask me but his effort on this book is a little above his normal fare for me. But it's the last two splash pages at the end of this very issue (released this week) that made me write up this review. After all that been going on in the Marvel Universe these last couple of years, those splash pages almost made it all worth it for me. Head on over to Heroes right now and pick it up so you can see. It'll be worth it even if the story is all convoluted and super hard to understand if you don't know what the hell has been going on these days in the Marvel Universe!

Dem Trailers: The Changeling

2008-09-11T13:58:00.000-07:00

That was a great screenshot, huh? Anyways, this is Clint Eastwood's latest film and is based on a true story taking place in the early 1900's in LA. Looks "meh" to me but who knows. Check it out for yourself over here at Yahoo! and you decide of my future ex-wife will get another Oscar nod this year.

Roger Ebert beat down by rival film critic

2008-09-11T13:29:00.000-07:00

Well the full story is that at the Toronto Film Festival last week, Roger Ebert was in the audience to watch a screening of Danny Boyle's film Slumdog Millionaire when he tapped NY Post film critic Lou Lumenick on the shoulder to signal to him that he couldn't see the movie. You see, Ebert has been left unable to speak after battling thyroid and salivary gland cancer for years and this was his way of letting the dude know. Guess who got pissed and whacked Mr. Thumbs Up in the face? Yup. Dude beat up a mute, handicapped person. Head on over here at NY Daily News for the details but only after you get pass the fact that that's Roger Ebert up there in that picture. And that's his wife next to him. Yup....soak that in.....

Seth McFarlane does Mario for Burger King

2008-09-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

Poor Mario....he never gets his proper due, does he? Guess it's back to kicking it with Luigi in the hot tub.

Dem Trailers: The Soloist

2008-09-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Strong Oscar buzz with this one but the trailer seems to sell the film in a whole other way. Not too sure about this one. RDJr. is always good, Foxx is hit & miss for me. You can go here at the LA Times site to read to story that inspired the film. Check out the trailer here at Yahoo! & let us know what you think.

This week's Flashback Feature: Annie Hall

2008-09-11T09:34:00.001-07:00

I've never seen Annie Hall and I don't plan on heading out to go see it tonight. Sorry, I'm just not that into Woody Allen, what can I say. I can respect dude and all he's done (I watch anything he does with Scarlett....but that's because of Scarlett; plus Kevin Smith owes a lot to this man) but this week's feature just doesn't beg me to go out and watch it theatrically. But I'm sure many of you would like to get a chance as watching it on the big screen so tonight's your night since it's showing at Edwards Theater tonight as part of their Thursday Flashback Features. Remember, $5 tickets and they start at 10pm. (I think next week is the one I'm more excited about....Bolivians!) Here is the trailer for Annie Hall in case your on the fence about going out and watching it.

The Machinist & The Machine on the set of Terminator Salvation

2008-09-10T12:54:00.000-07:00

This little story comes from Latino Review (via Aintitcool) and it talks about Auh-nold's involvement in the upcoming Terminator film. A couple of months ago, the news that an Arnold look-alike had been cast in the role of the T-800 due to the Governator's inability to participate in the film. Those rumors are being transformed into a whole other beast now due to that little pic up there on the set of the film. Word is that the Kindergarten Cop's face will be digitally added on to body of said body double and Arnold will be voicing the character after all. Pretty cool if they can make it seamless. For now, lets enjoy that little pic up there as Batman shoots the shit with Mr. Freeze.

Zero Puncuation: Too Human Review

2008-09-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

Mark MIllar returns to Ultimate Universe for Ultimate Avengers

2008-09-10T08:50:00.001-07:00

Another comic book post, another Mark Millar story. I've said it in the past, for me, this dude is the best writer in comicdom right now so when these stories pop up, you'll see them here. After staying on the sidelines in the Ultimate Universe, the sheriff is back in town next year when Millar comes back to do Ultimate Avengers in 2009. Check out the interview over here at Newsarama for all the details. I'm guessing that Ultimates 4 with Ed McGuiness isn't gonna happen? That sucks if true but as long as Millar is back at the helm (Loeb's run has been dumb so far), all is good in the universe. Now I'm left wondering who's going to be doing the art duties....Joe Mad & Millar would implode my head like the Large Hadron Collider.

New Quantun Of Solace trailer hits the webernetz

2008-09-09T13:32:00.000-07:00

Yup, new trailer and it's got some pretty dope shots in it. Since the other big November release has been pushed back, it will be the month of Bond if this trailer is any indication. I loved Casino Royale and this just looks dope. Hopefully I won't be disappointed. Check out the trailer over at Yahoo! here (don't forget to check out the Behind The Scenes feature here) and let us know what you think.

Apple special event reveals new iPods; nothing too crazy

2008-09-09T13:19:00.000-07:00

I just popped open the newest version of iTunes that was released today and haven't had a chance to really jump into it quite yet but from what I've heard from Mr. Steve Jobs at the event today, it all sounds pretty cool. On top of that, revised iPod Touch, iPod Nano & iPod Classic were shown off for people to fill up their loved ones stocking this winter. So other than that, not much else. The best thing to come outta the event was the announcement that iPhone 2.1 firmware software update will be out this Friday to fix all this stupid crashing and a host of other bugs from the latest update. Thank goodness. And did Steve Job look like he's stopped eating? Dude looked like a javelin up there! Head on over to Apple for more info on all the new stuff.

Harry Potter & The Half Blood Prince is screened & reviewed

2008-09-08T15:14:00.000-07:00

I've never been too hyped up about the Potter franchise but that's not to say I don't enjoy the films. When the announcement was made that the next installment was being pushed back until next summer, I was cool with it but it left me wondering how far along the film truly was. Well here's your answer: it was screened this past Saturday in Chicago. An Aintitcoolnews reader has written up a review of the film but be warned: it contains some big spoilers. If you don't care, surge ahead and click on that link to check it out!

Rumor: Will Smith set to play Captain America

2008-09-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: Aintitcool has gone and asked the right people the right questions over at Marvel and have come back with a definitive "No" from the studio on this rumor. Consider it done. Check it out here.

Seems like today is the day for all kinds of casting rumors....so Aintitcoolnew s (via MTV) is reporting that Marvel is considering Will Smith for the role of Captain America. Before people start getting all "No way Captain America should be played by a black man!" lets step back and lets ponder this: Will Smith will not be playing Steve Rogers but rather Isaiah Bradley. Who is Bradley, you ask? Well you see, after Steve Rogers was given the Super Soldier Serum, scientists tried to recreate it and tested the serum on some black soldiers. Bradley is a product of that experiment and became Captain America for a short time. Now it's been reported in the past that a Captain America film will be a World War II story so that would gel with the idea of Isaiah Bradley existing in the universe (as Bradley got older, the affects of the serum caused him to become almost childlike) and it seems to have been neglected in mentioning this possibility in any of those previous stories (this proves my nerdiness, no?). Hmmm, seems very interesting so far. What do you guys think? If this theory doesn't fly, can Will Smith play Steve Rodgers?

Too good to be true? Michael Caine confirms Depp & Hoffman in next Batman film

2008-09-08T11:51:00.000-07:00

Well if the Hadron Collider doesn't end the world this week, the force of rabid fanboys' head's simultaneous exploding when they hear this news will. I'm taking this one with a grain of salt just like the chaps over at Slash Film (from which this comes from). We reported a while back about the rumors that Johnny Depp was going to play The Riddler in the next film in the Batman series and been hearing about Phillip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin. After the fanboys cleaned themselves up when the news hit, I think we all collectively decided it was bullshit. Well now comes this little quote from Alfred himself, Sir Michael Caine, who wondered about the rumors himself:

“I was with [a Warner Bros.] executive and I said, ‘Are we going to make [a sequel to The Dark Knight]?’ They said yeah. I said, ‘How the hell are we going to top Heath? And he says ‘I’ll tell you how you top Heath — Johnny Depp as The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin.’ I said, ‘Shit, they’ve done it again!’” [Laughs]

WTF!? Damn, I want to believe but it's just so far away from now that anything can happen. Plus, until Nolan comes out and says he even wants to do another one I'm gonna be skeptical. But for now I'll sit back and imagine....what do you guys think?

Reminder: Large Hadron Collider to end world this week; plan accordingly

2008-09-07T17:42:00.000-07:00

I still don't know what the fuck this atom smasher is gonna do in order to improve our everyday life (I mean, it's not the cure for cancer....is it?) but I read about it a couple of months ago and now it's going online this Wednesday, even though people have been trying hard to stop it from going online due to fear that it might destroy the world. No, I'm not kidding. Apparently this big bastard of a machine can is capable of of creating micro black holes that will stop you from ever playing The Force Unleashed when it is released next week because everyone will be dead, including you. Anyways, one of the super smart peoples working on this project has decided to make a friendly rap video in order to explain it to us all who can't possibly comprehend the complexity of this whole project. Shit, I still don't know what the hell is going on. Damn, I kinda wanted to see if they would ever make a true sequel to Desperado. Check out the full story over here at Yahoo! and see if you can decipher all the mumbo jumbo and it was nice knowing you all!

Slow weekend at the box office...

2008-09-07T15:31:00.000-07:00

The Nic Cage action-thriller remake 'Bangkok Dangerous' led the box office this weekend with a measly $7.8 million, making this the slowest weekend for movies in five years. The top five was rounded out by 'Tropic Thunder' $7.5, 'The House Bunny', 'The Dark Knight', and 'Traitor'.

September is generally a slow month for movies. It's that weird transitional period when the summer box office is dying down and studios are gearing up to release their big Oscar contenders. Meanwhile, the television networks are all preparing to debut their big new shows for the fall season. But this does mark the seventh week this year that earnings have fallen behind compared to last year. Studio analysts are blaming this on the state of the economy, high gas prices, and the recent storms on the gulf coast. However I blame this on such craptastical releases as 'Bangkok Dangerous', 'Disaster Movie', 'Babylon A.D.', 'Death Race', 'The Longshots', 'The House Bunny', etc.

We'll find out next weekend when Focus Features rolls out the Coen brother's comedy 'Burn After Reading' and Overture Films releases the De Niro/Pacino team-up 'Righteous Kill'.

Aronofsky's The Wrestler gets Oscar buzz at film festival, clip drops on the net

2008-09-05T23:48:00.000-07:00

Darren Aronofsky is one of my favorite directors, man. Dude has some insight into this technique that just kills me every time. With Requiem For A Dream, The Fountain & Pi, he has created himself a filmography like no other. With his next release, he's going in another direction deciding to make a bio-pic called The Wrestler, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival this week and has garnered some pretty good buzz. The clip up there showa some footage from the film (no official trailer has been released as it hasn't been picked up by a distributor yet) as well as interviews with the director & star of the film, Mickey Rourke. Hopefully we'll be watching this film later this year just in time for Oscar season. This comes via Slash Film.

Rami & Maguire back on board for Spider-Man 4, possibly 5

2008-09-05T23:31:00.000-07:00

Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood is reporting that Sony has locked in director Sam Raimi and Peter Parker himself Tobey Maguire (has dude done anything since Spider-Man 3?) for another sequel in the Spider-Man franchise. Not only that, the there is a possibility that they will try to shoot 2 movies back to back, which backs up a rumor that was floating around a couple of months ago. No word on any other actors returning to reprise roles and as far as the villain (or villains? God I hope not...) is concerned, the rumors are heavily leaning towards Dr. Curt Conners as The Lizard in this one. Finke's source goes on to mention that "once you find out who the villain is, you'll know who's playing it" so that means either Conners (played by Dylan Baker) or one of the previous villains will return. Man, I hope it's not Venom cause I don't think after Topher Grace's take on him in the last film that I can take that kinda of bullshit. What do you guys think? Should Raimi get all "Dark Knight" on the Spider-Man franchise and show us the dark side of Peter Parker?

Slacker Uprising available for free download later this month

2008-09-05T10:12:00.000-07:00

What can I say, I like Michael Moore's stuff: always entertaining are his films. We can sit here and argue whether or not his style of documentary filmmaking is proper but I find myself enjoying his films. Anyways his latest film, Slacker Uprising, will be available for free download later this month over at BLIPTV. Interested? Check out CNET here for more info and check out the trailer down there and see if it's worth deleting those old pictures of your nephew's birthday party in order to make room for the film when it's released.

The first Microsoft ad featuring Jerry Sienfeld & Bill Gates disappoints

2008-09-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

So this is supposed to be the Microsoft's answer to Apple, huh? Damn....honestly, I was hoping they were going to be awesome and maybe it's just starting off but I didn't find this too funny. Especially knowing that Seinfeld reportedly is getting around $10 million for the series of ads. I don't know, what do you guys think?

F.F.I.L.M.M. Film Festival goes down this Saturday at Tower Theater

2008-09-04T11:03:00.000-07:00

As we mentioned in our podcast earlier this week (you listened, right?) September is going to be an all out assault on the local film lovers as we have three film festivals occurring here locally. F.I.L.M.M. (Festival Featuring Independent Lyricist and Movie Makers) is the first one and it's happening this Saturday, September 6th here in Fresno at the Tower Theater and doors open at 6:30 p.m. The festival features short films, junior short films, and poetry, mixed with a little live entertainment as well. I haven't had a chance to attend in the past so I'm not exactly sure what to expect this weekend but you can bet your ass I'll be there and if you have the time, come on out, say waddup and help support local film & the filmmakers making them. Here's a quote from the press release:

The event was designed to give people in and around the Central Valley an opportunity to show their work publicly to a national audience. All of the showcased participants involved have been chosen by a set of professional judges who have established themselves within the film or poetry industry. It’s a true independent festival that wants to give an outlet or resource to those who are serious about their craft and exemplify the potential to be successful in it, but don’t have the resources in order to fulfill those dreams and aspirations. It is "FFILMM's" hope to give these artists those resources, and if nothing else just give them the opportunity to express themselves and show their creative ability.

Nyup! Tickets are $10 in advance & $15 at the door so pick up tix beforehand if you need some money for one of those new iPods next week. Hope to see some of you out there this weekend!

This week's Flashback Feature: Scarface

2008-09-04T09:46:00.000-07:00

The second film in the series opens up tonight and it's a pretty good one: Scarface. Yup, I imagine that everyone from that barbershop in Manchester with the wall to wall posters of the film will be there, along with a close friend of mine with an unhealthy obsession with Tony Montana. Anyways, you should know the drill: the film starts at 10pm at Edwards Theater at Riverpark, tickets are $5 so head on out after your done Art Hop-pin' & catch some classic films!

SPOILER ALERT: Eckhart talks Harvey Dent's future

2008-09-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

I'm assuming that it's quite possible that there are people who haven't seen The Dark Knight yet so I've attached the big warning in the title of this post and here: IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN TDK, YOUR DUMB (wait a minute, that could be a compliment on this blog)! Oh yeah, you then shouldn't read the rest of this post (but feel free to browse the rest of the blog, it's all good!).

Aaron Eckhart was doing press in Toronto for his next film, Towelhead, when he was asked a series of questions by SuperheroHype during an interview about Harvey Dent's return for a sequel to The Dark Knight:

CS/SHH!: Is Harvey Dent alive?
Aaron Eckhart: No. He is dead as a door nail.

CS/SHH!: So he's not coming back?
Eckhart: He ain't coming back baby!

CS/SHH!: I was hoping he would.
Eckhart: No. I asked Chris [Nolan] that question and he goes, "You're dead" before I could even get the question out of my mouth. "Hey Chris, am I?" "You're dead!" Alright, cool.

CS/SHH!: That's not a problem in comic book movies. You could still come back.
Eckhart: I think in contract negotiations it's a problem.

CS/SHH!: So you were never signed on for another film?
Eckhart: No, I'm not coming back. I think unfortunately, Heath [Ledger] was supposed to go on and that didn't work out. I'm nobody. I'm a cog. I have no say over this sort of stuff. I'm sure that there's so many other characters that they could whip together. I heard Angelina Jolie was going to be Catwoman or something like that. I thought that was a great idea. I'd like to be in that one.

CS/SHH!: It must be gratifying that so many people responded to your character.
Eckhart: Yeah, I dig it. Write your Congressman. I like that for the first time in my career I'm getting fan mail from kids and 8-year-olds. "My name is Bill. I really liked the film." I've never had that before. I think that's fun. I think someone told me they're going to be Harvey Two-Face for Halloween which is cool. I said to two kids the other day, "Did you see Batman yet?" Then I come to find out like two seconds later they've seen it four times. People are really going back to see it. My parents saw it I think 12 [times] so far. They're sick that it's going out of the theaters.

CS/SHH!: Do they normally see your movies 12 times?
Eckhart: I don't know about 12, but they like to go see the movies. They like to go see the audience. They like to tell people that I'm in the movie like popcorn people.

Well there you go. Who knows when or if Nolan plans to return to Gotham but this kinda puts thing into perspective a bit. So you guys think this just might be a planting of information?

The DUmb #9 • I'm Pregnant

2008-09-03T10:59:00.001-07:00

Once again our heroes return....what heroes do I speak of you ask? Well none other than myself, brodiemash, & our new co-host of The DUmb, Bryan Harley from AMF Productions. Back again for the first time, we talk about all kinds of stuff relating to film and some other things....not so much:

• We talk about films we saw over the Labor Day weekend including The Wackness, Pineapple Express, The Clone Wars, Babylon A.D., Tropic Thunder & more.

• Next weeks DVD releases and how nobody else loves Wings but me (and Quagmire).

• How we'd make an R-rated Star Wars film.

• We reenact the conversation between Sarah Palin and her pregnant daughter.

• My lunch at Livingstone's and their horrible customer service.

• The active film festivals going on in Fresno in the month of September, including the F.F.I.L.M.M and the Latino Film Festival

• The death of Don LaFontaine

• We overload on nerdiness as we discuss the awesome RED Camera.

All this and much, much more. All for free. Download it, listen and let us know what you think. Thanks to Late Update for hosting our podcast!

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE DUMB #9

Zero Puncuation: Eve Online Review

2008-09-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

Zack & Miri Make A Porno red band trailer spunks all over the internet

2008-09-02T18:48:00.000-07:00

Oh, man....I've been waiting for this one. Glad they decided to make the first trailer a red band. Can't....wait....for...Halloween! Stop reading and watch the "Porno" already! Oh and don't forget, red band means NSFW so be warned!

Mark Millar talks proposed Superman film trilogy, all things in the Millarverse

2008-09-02T09:54:00.000-07:00

I love Millar's line in that if he was given superpowers that he would "kill who ever John McCain told me to kill." Pretty much! I mean, who wouldn't want to have super powers? Well dude's always spewing gold (it's comments like those that make you either love or hate the guy) and in this interview with G4, he talks it up about everything from his latest comic book, War Heroes to the latest on his much talked about reboot of the Superman franchise on the big screen. And during the whole interview, dude's holding a beer. Ah, to live the rock star life of a comic book writer....

Don LaFontaine (aka That Trailer Guy) passes away

2008-09-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

We've all heard his voice as we sit waiting for the feature presentation to start as we wade through endless amounts of trailers before we reach what we came to see. Well no more as the voice has been silenced today when Don LaFontaine passed away at age 68 due to complications of pneumothorax. Check out the full story over at ET Online here and watch that awesome video up there of his life. You, sir, will be missed....

Das ÜberPost: School Is Back In Session

2008-09-01T20:01:00.000-07:00

I know that God didn't invent them, but damn are Pluots delicious....Oh, didn't see you guys there. Well after taking it easy for a week due some insane deadlines at work, everything should be back to normal this week....somewhat. Anyways, besides working most of this holiday weekend, lets recap some of the coolness:

• You like eating at Livingstone's in Tower? Yeah, I used to...until this happened this weekend. I'll still be going there to get my drink on every once in a while but they sure slammed the door on getting my hard earned lunch money!

• So Wanted has come and gone theatrically and now I wait for the inevitable release on DVD to relive all that gun play. Word around the web is that writer extraordinaire Mark Millar is already feeding Hollywood ideas for the next installment and he's also reiterated that there will never be a sequel to the graphic novel. It makes me sad but I guess it's best to leave well enough alone. Check out the full interview here at Newsarama.

• What's this nonsense I hear about the whole Fox lawsuit against Warner Bros. might mean that the film could be delayed and possibly not even be released next year? Bullshit! They better work something out cause I wanna see this fucken movie next March! Check out the full story here at Slash Film.

• Although we posted this a while back and it got pulled, here a better view at that Max Payne (not to be confused with Major Payne) trailer. Looks very odd but strangely draws me in...but probably not. Check it out over here at Yahoo!

Guitar Hero: The Movie....no serious.

2008-08-29T08:35:00.000-07:00

Director extraordinaire Bret Ratner was recently interviewed by MTV and talked about the possibility of bringing the phenomenon of Guitar Hero to the big screen. Ratner, you fucken hack! I really hope that Mr. Ratner can get this project off the ground and see what kind of artistic angle he can come up with as far as translating the video game experience over to the big screen and not turn it into a 2-hour long commercial for the product. Check out the story over here at Aintitcool for the details. Would you go see a Guitar Hero movie?

Transformers 2 explosion from filming in Long Beach; Chevy Volt makes it's first public appearance during filming

2008-08-28T23:06:00.000-07:00

So Shia got his hand smashed and they decided to write that into the script so the production is moving along and Transformers Live Action Movie Blog has been keeping track of everything. This week, the production has been filming some scenes in downtown Long Beach including the awesome action scene you can check out in the video embedded up there. Pretty cool, huh? It's always cool to see shit blowing up. And although I couldn't find embeddable video to post, you can click here to check out some more footage of the cars driving down the street in the LBC, including a surprise: it seems Chevy has let Mr. Bay use the upcoming, top secret, game changing Volt in the feature. The final production car is supposed to be revealed in November at the LA Auto Show but it's shown up on the internets a couple of months early. If Chevy can live up to the projects lofty promises, I think I'm looking at my next car. Sure, it's super good for the environment, gets 40 miles on a single charge, hardly uses any gas. But the coolest part? It was in Transformers 2! Be sure to hit up TFLAMB for a crapload more pics and info on the film!

ABC reporter arrested at DNC for shooting video on public property

2008-08-28T09:06:00.000-07:00

I wonder how much of a furor this is gonna spark. After I attempted multiple times to write an entry to go with this post, I've decided to give up and merely go and listen to N.W.A.'s Straight Outta Compton (track #2) to calm down and try to figure out why shit like this is happening on U.S. soil. Breathe....Wait, the dude was just chilling in front of a hotel for like 2 hours and the owner filed a complaint? Maybe he should of moved his shit if he was causing a disruption with the business' flow. Hmmm.... Still, it's a weird image to see a proper looking, white man arrested and man handled the way he was. Social commentary? Perhaps. Check out the full story over here at ABC & let us know what you guys think.

Rain Of Madness documentary available for free on iTunes

2008-08-28T00:23:00.000-07:00

A while back we posted the trailer for the faux-documentary Rain Of Madness for the film Tropic Thunder. Well the full, 30-minute film is available right now for free over at iTunes here. So if you were a fan of the film or just can't get enough of Robert Downey Jr. as a black man, download it now and let us know what you think of the film.

This week's Flashback Feature: Goldfinger

2008-08-27T23:15:00.000-07:00

Well this week marks the beginning of Edwards' Flashback Features theatrical series of screening some classic films and it begins this Thursday evening with Sean Connery's James Bond film Goldfinger. Unfortunately, I probably won't be able to make it out there for the screening but I hope to go to a lot of these this year. You can't go wrong with this people: Classic films, $5 movie ticket, 10pm showtime....awesome! Maybe down the road we can arrange a pre-movie meeting up at an area watering hole to get a few drinks with some fellow movie fans. If you guys head out there, let us know how it went and give us a report!

Zero Puncuation: Braid Review

2008-08-27T09:13:00.000-07:00

Earth vs. Asteroid: Armageddon got it wrong

2008-08-26T16:20:00.000-07:00

So back in 1998 when the Michael Bay classic Armageddon was released, I wonder if Australian Mary D’Souza was watching the film thinking "I will prove this movie wrong." You see, Mary isn't just a normal human being. Nope she's a PhD student with the University of Queensland's School of Engineering and she apparently knows her astro physics since she recently won an international contest for solutions to avoid a giant asteroid to impact our giant rock we call home. And what was the technique she came up with? The very one deemed stupid in the film by grand master Billy Bob: using solar sails to disrupt the path of the evil asteroid. In yer face, Slingblade! Swear if the earth is saved by going against something a Bay film has taught us to be stoopid, I sense no better poetic justice. A special shout out to Mary for saving (potentially) our home planet and our blog! Check out the full story over here at Slash Film.

Director of Babylon A.D. says Babylon A.D. sucks, blasts studio for interfering

2008-08-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Even though Clint Mansell's Requiem score can make any film look ten times better than it actually is, it wasn't enough to save this little abomination. It seems like Fox came in and took over for the director Mathieu Kassovitz when he couldn't deliver a PG-13 rating and edited the crap out of the film and essentially turned into a turd (although who knows if it was already a shit film before). So continues the tyranny of Fox Studios and their reign of terror (unless they're looking to hire me, then they're all good in my book!). Check out the full details over here at Slash Film, including the secret connection between Vin Desiel and Osama Bin Laden. Interesting stuff....

Soderbergh’s Che gets a cool poster; no set date for release

2008-08-26T13:05:00.000-07:00

(click to enbiggen)
Have to say, pretty cool poster. The film itself is quite a question mark as it has yet to get picked up officially by any film studio. The independently funded 2-part epic is a hard sell to movie studios mainly due to it's length (reported to be around 6 hours) and because it's predominantly in Spanish. Yup, so that means we may never see it theatrically. Another little tidbit, the film was shot entirely in digital using the über-cool Red camera. This comes from the homies over at Film School Rejects.

Dumb Drum welcomes Bryan Harley to the camp

2008-08-25T12:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, we have other people who occasionally blog here but people are busy and really don't have the time to dedicate to a crappy film blog. But yet today we welcome another member to our team: Bryan Harley! Yup, the local filmmaker will be blessing us with his gift of gab and enlightening us with his vast knowledge. Bryan will also become my official co-host on The DUmb for the foreseeable future. You can check out Bryan other works at his official site, AMF Production s. Lets all give him a hug when you see this guy in person. He loves hugs. LOVES THEM! Welcome, sir!

Fast & Furious teaser trailer drifts onto the web

2008-08-25T12:21:00.000-07:00

(click Michelle's teeth for the Quicktime trailer)
Fast & Furious

UPDATE: If you can't wait for the Quicktime, here it is for you streaming!

Here it is. The trailer I've been waiting for all my life. Well, at least since the original TFATF in 2001. A continuation of those characters' story. Will it suck? Probably. Will I enjoy watching it? Yup, pretty much going to love it. The stunts look pretty cool, actually. Overall a dope trailer. Hopefully the craptacular dialogue and acting will be held over enough to give us all a reason to go check this out when it drops next year. If only I could watch this at the drive-in like the last one. Check out the trailer here and more some exclusive pics here at IGN.

Cineculture releases fall line-up

2008-08-25T10:58:00.000-07:00

Cineculture is a student club (and 3 unit class) at Fresno State that strives to provide culture awareness through film screenings and discussions. The club released their new fall line-up today, plus details about their first screening which will take place this Friday, August 29 at 5:30pm in McLane Hall Room 121 on the Fresno State campus. Best of all, entry is free!

Iron-Jawed Angels. Dir: Katja von Garnier, 2004. 123 min.
This film recounts for a contemporary audience a key chapter in U.S. history: in this case, the struggle of suffragists who fought for the passage of the 19th Amendment. Focusing on the two defiant women, Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), the film shows how these activists broke from the mainstream women's-rights movement and created a more radical wing, daring to push the boundaries of political protest to secure women's voting rights in 1920. (www.hbo.com). Post-screening discussion by Jenny Whyte (Women's Resource Center Coordinator).

I'm gonna try to make it out there myself. Sounds like an interesting film, eh? Scope out the trailer below.

New York, I Love You teaser trailer drops

2008-08-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

"New York I love you" Teaser
by Mollyryan

I still have yet to throw on my copy of Paris, Je T'amie but the concept of a love letter-film is something that has been running around my head for the last couple of years. Of course, it's kinda hard for people to compare Fresno to New York but the stories exist. Anyways, the second installment (can you consider is a sequel?) of the "...I Love You" series is getting ready for it big unveiling and here is the first trailer for New York, I Love You. The cast is ridiculous. The directors...well, it's kinda cool. I would of liked to involve Woody Allen, maybe DeNiro some more of the New York peeps. But still, looks interesting (I'm always down for Qi Shu). I think I'll throw Paris... on right after this. So what do you guys think? Can we collaborate and do a Fresno, I Love You?

KSEE 24 makes me official UFW member; I await for my hipster t-shirt in the mail

2008-08-24T18:36:00.000-07:00

Long story short: So I informed my mom that Hillary Clinton was going to be speaking in downtown Fresno at the UFW. She, being a über-Hillary supporter really wanted to go so I did what any good son would do and took her. We listened to her command the crowd like Fidel as people chanted "Si Se Puede!". As we were leaving, KSEE 24 asked for an interview and I obliged, asking only my name (made sure they spelled it right), some questions and that was that. The end result? I'm a UFW Member, according to the graphic below my face. Awesome. Good thing they didn't ask me what I thought of Cesar Chavez. I hope I get something in the mail soon confirming my membership...maybe a bottle of wine like the one they gave Hillary. That would do! Check out the video of my ugly mug over here, if you must.

Local dog video makes it to semi-finals of Alpo Real Meat Moments video contest

2008-08-23T16:15:00.000-07:00

His name is Kaze, he's a Jack Russel Terrier and he loves his Alpo (who doesn't, that stuff just looks so delicious) and he's proven it so far but helping propel his video to the semi-finals of the national Alpo Real Meat Moments Video Contest. But Kaze needs a little help from you...yes, you! Head on over to the official page here and look for the video (it's the only one from Fresno) and cast your vote to help Kaze get his golden bone. I looked at every other single video and I can assure you that none of them are as cool as Kaze so don't waste your time, just go over and vote and take my word for it. Lets put Kaze in the victory circle where he belongs and we'll keep you updated on his progress. Vote now, vote often and spread the word! The voting end tomorrow so don't put it off! Fresno represent!